ABSTRACT
In the last 20 years, one more mission that could be fulfilled by canines has been reported and discussed, namely, the ability of dogs to sniff out cancer in humans. Cancer is a leading cause of death worldwide, accounting for 8.2 million deaths in 2012 (World Health Organization 2015), and often comes with symptoms that may be unspecific, overlooked, or ignored. Early diagnosis in curable or operable stages is crucial for successful therapy as it may allow for more efficient treatments with lower toxicity and result in longer survival (e.g., Negm et al. 2002; Ganti and Mulshine 2006). Therefore, noninvasive, low-cost, safe, and effective screening methods for detection of early cancer stages, including nonconventional ones, are desirable.
